Mercenary

Mercenary: Chapter 2 - A Challenge Issued and a Challenge Accepted

Alexander stared at Adella, wide-eyed, his jaw resting on his chest. He could vaguely hear a sword clattering to the floor (Was it his? He wasn’t sure.) but it sounded as though it were very far away.

“Y-you can’t be!” Alexander stammered out. “You can’t be The Phoenix!”

Adella did not respond, and instead gently brushed past Alexander and Ryder, ignoring them now that her point had been made. She headed straight to Micael and Pierre, the small smile on her face growing.

“Micael, Pierre, mes amours!” She exclaimed, laughing as she kissed both of them on each cheek. Leaning back, she produced a coarse woolen bag from her satchel. “Your herbs. Do not make anything too dangerous with them.”

Micael laughed loudly and grasped the bag, smiling widely at Adella.

“Je vous remercie, mon amour. To be honest, I thought you had forgotten.”

Adella laughed and pinched Micael’s cheek jokingly. “How could I possibly forget you, mon cher?”

“And you, I, m’amie.”

Adella chuckled gently and turned to Wilhelm, the smile on her face fading.

“I trust the journey here was safe,” she asked softly.

“Yes Adella, we were fine. And of the boy in the village?”

Alexander looked at Adella in shock. The boy? What boy? Was she actually a lady of the night? What were they talking about?

“He was fine,” Adella replied, a small crease of worry appearing between her eyebrows. “His ankle was only strained, thankfully not broken. Doc and I bound it. Hopefully he’ll be back on his feet in a few days. It shocks me that a village of that size manages to survive without a village healer. Mark my words, when another plague hits us, that village won’t even be there anymore.”

Wilhelm nodded sadly and Adella looked to Acton.

“And how’s my Horse Whisperer?”

Acton laughed at the nickname and shook his head.

“I really wish you’d quit calling me that,” he said through his laughter.

“The day the horses stop hanging on your every word like you’re the reincarnation of the Lord himself is the day I quit calling you that,” Adella responded, drawing laughs from the mercenaries.

Abruptly, Adella turned back to Alexander, smiling serenely.

“I would like to see my room and have a bath drawn for me. I need to get this layer of dirt off my person before I retire,” she said lightly, grasping her shirt and stretching it away from her body as proof of her filthiness.

Alexander shook his head in shock and mumbled, “You are not The Phoenix.”

Adella laughed and placed her hands gently on her hips. “Of course I am. I don’t see anyone else knocking on your door, saying ‘Hello, I’m The Phoenix. Do you want me to help you get rid of a couple raiders? It’ll be fun!’” Adella laughed lithely. “I am the only phoenix you’ll be seeing tonight, mythical or otherwise.”

Alexander shook his head again, this time with more gusto. “No. You cannot be The Phoenix! You are a woman!”

Abruptly, the mercenaries stopped laughing and the smile was wiped off of Adella’s face. She glared at Alexander with pure hatred and a guttural growl rose in her throat. The Wilhelm stood behind her and put a hand on her shoulder, gently restraining her while openly glaring at Alexander. The other mercenaries followed suit, each standing behind Adella in an act of support for her and defiance toward Alexander’s accusation.